Hey friends! Today I’m going to be talking about some books that are being released in the months of June, July, and August of 2020, that I’m super excited for! These will be young adult books since that is primarily what I read, but let me know if you would be interested in a separate list for adult releases.
Okay, I have many to talk about, so let’s get started:
June Releases:
The Falling in Love Montage by Ciara Smyth ➾ This is a queer YA contemporary (debut, I believe) about two girls falling in love. That’s literally it. Saoirse doesn’t believe in love at first sight or happy endings, and she definitely isn’t looking for a relationship, but then she meets Ruby at a party. Ruby proposes a loophole: they allow themselves to have a summer of fun, full of cliché, rom-com montage-worthy date they can think of. They don’t need true love to have fun, and they have a binding agreement to end their relationship come fall. Sounds like a perfect plan, right? Except Saoirse and Ruby seem to forget that the characters in the Falling in Love Montage actually fall in love at the end… for real. This is one of my most anticipated releases of the year. Give me that overly-cliché sapphic romance!!! We are being fed!!!
Burn by Patrick Ness ➾ I’m going to be honest: I don’t know anything about this book other than a) dragons and b) Patrick Ness, two of my favorite things. Patrick Ness has written two of my favorite books of all time, and he is an auto-buy author for me now. Then when I saw this had dragons as well? Add to cart was clicked. Also, because it’s Patrick Ness I’m sort of assuming it’s queer, but I’m not entirely sure.
You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson ➾ This one just makes me think of Billie Eilish, lol. Anyway, this one is another queer YA contemporary (sensing a theme here?) with a black MC, I mean look at that gorgeous cover!! Liz has always believed she is too black, too poor, and too awkward to shine in her small, rich midwestern town, but she has a plan to get out of there for good: go to the elite Pennington College. But everything seems to fall apart when Liz’s financial aid falls through, until she remembers her school’s scholarship for prom king and queen. Despite her fear of the spotlight, Liz will do whatever it takes to get her to Pennington. The new girl, Mack, makes this bearable, but it turns out she is also running for prom queen.
The State of Us by Shaun David Hutchinson ➾ This is a queer YA contemporary about the son of the Republican nominee for President falling in love with the son of the Democratic nominee for President as their paths cross continuously on the campaign trail. After Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston that came out last year, I’m incredibly excited but nervous about this one. RWRB became one of my favorite books of all time, and I’m scared that people (i.e. me) are going to compare the two and be disappointed. We’ll see. I’m still excited.
A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown ➾ This is a YA fantasy inspired by West African folklore, and that plus the cover is all I needed to add this to my TBR. This follow Malik, who rigs his way into a contest to escape his war-stricken home and start a new life with his sisters, and Karina, the Crown Princess of Ziran. When Malik’s sister is abducted, he strikes a fatal deal – to kill Karina, the Crown Princess. Karina is dealing with her own demons, though. Her mother was recently assassinated, and Karina decides to resurrect her using ancient magic. Her only problem is that she needs the beating heart of a King, but knows just how to obtain one: offering her hand in marriage to the victor of the contest.
July Releases:
Burn Our Bodies Down by Rory Power ➾ This is a YA horror novel that I honestly don’t know anything about, but I plan to keep it that way. I really liked Wilder Girls, Rory’s debut novel, but I feel like my expectations were too high and I was left a little disappointed, so I want to go into this one with no expectations. I’m lucky to have an eARC of this and I cannot wait to get to this next month. It’s probably one of my top 5 anticipated books of the year.
The Crow Rider by Kalyn Josephson ➾ This is the sequel to the YA fantasy The Storm Crow, which I read and absolutely loved last year. This duology is about a Princess named Thia, who lives in a kingdom that heavily relies on these magical, elemental crows for things to run smoothly, but then their kingdom is attacked and so much is destroyed, along with their crows. Thia is forced into an arranged marriage with the Prince of the enemy kingdom that attacked them, and she is spurred into action upon discovering the last remaining crow egg, where she and her older sister devise a plan to hatch the egg in secret. The first book especially talks a lot about depression and mental health, which I loved seeing in a fantasy book. It also features a MC of color and lgbtq+ side characters!
Loveless by Alice Oseman ➾ This is a coming-of-age YA contemporary about a girl named Georgia who has never been in love, never kissed anyone, and never even had a crush, but she’s certain she’ll find her person one day. She heads off to university, where she is a member of the Shakespeare Society, and Georgia and her friends come up with a plan for romance which goes horribly wrong. She questions why love is so easy for others but so hard for her, and discovers terms such as ‘asexual’ and ‘aromantic’, and is more confused than ever. It’s a story of finding identity and self-acceptance featuring an aro-ace MC, and I’m so excited.
Shielded by KayLynn Flanders ➾ This is a YA fantasy (debut? I believe), which I honestly requested an ARC of purely because of the cover. The synopsis of the book is quite vague, but I’m okay with that since I can go in with lower expectations and fewer opportunities to be disappointed. It’s basically about a Princess named Jennesara (Jenna), whose kingdom is losing a war. Jenna wants to help on the battlefield but her father has other plans. He arranges a marriage for Jenna to the prince of a neighboring kingdom in exchange for resources, but then her royal caravan is ambushed on the way to meet her betrothed, and Jenna realizes that a new threat on the horizon is much worse than anyone anticipated.
Today Tonight Tomorrow by Rachel Lynn Solomon ➾ This is a YA contemporary romance that takes place over the span of 24 hours. Rowan and Neil are high school seniors who are both ultra competitive and have been academic rivals all throughout high school. Then Neil is named Valedictorian and Rowan only has one last chance at victory: beating Neil in a game called Howl, played by the senior class, that takes them all over Seattle. Of course, Rowan and Neil end up having to team up together to take out a group of seniors until they’re the last players left.
August Releases:
Star Daughter by Shveta Thakrar ➾ This one is a YA fantasy debut, based on Hindu mythology. It’s about a girl named Sheetal, the daughter of a star and a human, who accidentally injures her father with her starfire magic and has to go on a quest to find a star that can help heal him. Despite sounding incredibly unique and interesting, I would buy and read this based on the stunning cover alone. Also, the blurb says “perfect for fans of Roshani Chokshi and Laini Taylor”, both of whom I love, so I’m very excited for this one.
Where Dreams Descend by Janella Angeles ➾ This is another YA fantasy debut with a gorgeous cover. It’s about a group of magicians who compete against each other in a game of magical feats in order to become the next headliner of the Conquering Circus. But when magicians go missing, three of them have to team up to figure out what’s going on before the darkness comes for them next. I don’t know about you, but I smell a love triangle and some atmospheric writing with this one.
Clown in a Cornfield by Adam Cesare ➾ This is a YA horror novel about killer clowns, and that’s literally all I know. Although I haven’t read his work before, I believe this author normally writes adult horror so I have kinda high expectations for this one. Also, it just screams “adaptation” to me – creepy clown mascot goes homicidal and starts killing teenagers.
Sia Martinez and the Moonlit Beginning of Everything by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland ➾ This is a YA SFF contemporary about a Mexican American teen named Sia, whose mom went missing years ago. Every new moon, Sia drives into the desert and lights San Antony and la Guadalupe candles to help guide her mom home. Then one night a space craft crashes in front of her car, carrying her very much alive mom.
The Dark Tide by Alicia Jasinska ➾ This is a queer YA dark fantasy, which I know is sapphic. It’s about a Witch Queen named Eva who lures a boy back to her palace on one night of every year to be a sacrifice in order to keep the island city from sinking. A girl named Lina is convinced that her brother is going to be taken this year, and to save him she enlists the help of her friend, Thomas, who draws the attention of the Queen and is chosen instead. But then Lina offers herself to the Queen to save Thomas, and each girl is unlike what the other expected. They find themselves falling for each other and have to decide what is more important: saving themselves, saving each other, or saving the city.
Thousands of Pages 
So many exciting ones!
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